Black Agenda Radio for Week of December 11, 2017
Universities Nurtured Ideology of Slavery
A group of Black students at the University of Chicago is demanding the institution acknowledge its financial roots in the slave system and make reparations to the Black community. Kamm Howard, co-chair of NâCOBRA, the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, supports the studentsâ demands. Howard said U.S. universities âlaid the moral, intellectual and so-called scientific foundation for the institution of enslavement. They produced tons of pseudo-science that led to the dehumanizing of African people.â
Puerto Rico Crippled Before Hurricane Hit
Harsh austerity measures imposed by a federal financial oversight board set Puerto Rico up for disaster, said Lara Merling, a researcher for the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. A new study shows about 1,000 more deaths resulted from Hurricane Irma than were officially reported. âItâs not surprising that the Puerto Rican government had no ability to respondâ to the storm, as a result of the spending cuts, said Merling.
International Commission Probes U.S. Police Impunity
Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontre Hamilton, a mentally challenged young Black man who died in a hail of Milwaukee police gunfire in 2014, was among those that testified at hearings of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, in Washington. Cops have killed thousands, âbut there has been no justice in any of these shootings,â said Hamilton. âWe are fighting for our childrenâs lives who are no longer here.â
The U.S. Supported Anti-Black Forces in Libya
It should have come as no surprise that the same ârebelsâ the US supported in its 2011 war against Libya are now selling Blacks into slavery at auction, said Robin Philpot, who published Maximillian Forteâs influential book Slouching Toward Sirte. Assassinated Libyan leader âMuammar Gaddafi made it very clear that Libya was committed to African unityâ under his government. U.S.-backed ârebelsâ targeted Black Libyans for death and detention â and now, enslavement.
Mumia Thanks His Supporters
Activists gathered in Philadelphia to march, attend teach-ins and demand freedom for Mumia Abu Jamal, who has spent 35 years behind bars in the death of a policeman. From his confinement, Mumia told supporters, âThrough it all, I have never felt alone. Behind brick and steel, I felt your loveâŚever present.â
Black Agenda Radio on the Progressive Radio Network is hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey. A new edition of the program airs every Monday at 11:am ET on PRN. Length: one hour.
This weekâs featured scholar is Ayodeji Ogunnaike. Ogunnaike is an assistant professor at Bowdoin College where he teaches interdisciplinary courses on Africa and the African Diaspora highlightingâŚ
The electoral system alone doesn't bring about change that benefits the people. People-centered political formations must be part of any political process.
The U.S. remains committed to its efforts at securing hegemonic control of the world, but as always there is resistance domestically and internationally. The Black Alliance for Peace explains in itsâŚ
As Egypt plays host to COP27, Y.Y.H. Al-Askar â writing under a pseudonym â draws attention to the plight of the tens of thousands of political prisoners in Egypt.
Colombiaâs first-ever left-wing leader Gustavo Petro took a historic trip to Venezuela, pledging regional unity following the anti-imperialist model of SimĂłn BolĂvar. Meeting with President NicolĂĄsâŚ
